Jesus image in a potato chip, Newport woman says

Carol Isaak says she found what she thinks is an image of Jesus on the cross in a potato
chip the night before Easter. Isaak said her husband has had some recent health problems, and she thinks her chip is a sign of hope. ( Courtesy to pioneer press: Carol Isaak)

Jesus Christ has made yet another appearance on a potato chip.

At least that's what Newport resident Carol Isaak believes. The night before Easter, Isaak, 67, decided to snack on some potato chips.

"The second chip I pulled out of the bag, I said, 'Oh my God, Vern, look at this,'â " Isaak said.

Isaak's husband, Vern, replied, "It looks like Jesus on the cross."

"And I said, 'I think so, too,'â " Isaak said. "It seemed like a sign or something. I got all fuzzy and warm."

Instead of eating the chip, Isaak took pictures of it, which she emailed to friends and family.

"I wanted to take it to church yesterday and show it to our minister, but I was afraid it would get broken," Isaak said Monday, April 9.

She said the ripple-style Clancy's brand chip purchased at an Aldi store is now safely stored in her china cabinet. She said some friends have offered to put it up for sale on eBay, but she doesn't plan to do that.

"I won't feel right selling it," she said.

The son of God apparently makes regular appearances on snack foods. In recent years, sightings of Christ or a crucifix have been seen on potato chips in Bakersfield, Calif.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Shippensburg, Pa. On YouTube, you can find video documentation of Jesus Cheetos.

But irregular markings in potatoes or potato chips are the byproduct of disease or rotting, not a sign of the supernatural, said Lori Wing, administrator of the Potato Association of America.

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Wing said this Easter season, she's heard of Christ sightings in potatoes in Maine and Canada.

"It seems every couple of years, the same thing happens. We just sort of ignore it," she said. "I've had pictures sent to me, and no matter how hard I look, I don't see it."

Wing said potato chips with markings, while not miraculous, are safe to eat.

Isaak, however, said her husband has had some recent health problems, and she thinks her chip is a sign of hope.

"I think it's just a comforting thing telling me things will be OK," she said.